Last Thursday in NYC, I attended the 360 Summit Dinner at the New York Stock exchange on a blogger's press pass. The WF360 event, sponsored by NYSE Euronext (the two exchanges have merged) and hosted by Susan Bird ("Experiential marketing advisor" to companies like Accenture, American Express, and the New York Stock Exchange), was a fairly big to-do with good company and good food. The hidden secret was that it was very woman-oriented which I loved!
So, lots to talk about here. Susan's bright idea was to bring a bunch of bloggers to the tables to interact with the other guests, (Corante and MarketHum, the new marketing consultancy I just joined, helped find interested bloggers). So I was there, and my partner Francois Gossieaux, my good friends Russ Nelson and Howard Greenstein, Tom Guarriello, Don Dodge, Christina Kerley, Tom Steinthal and others.
First things first - before I talk about the conversation or anything else, I want to talk about the Goody Bags. So 15 lucky winners got a hot new product that is a co-branding stroke of genius by Swarovski and Philips. Sadly, I was not one to receive the Philips-Swarovski Crystal USB Flash Drive. However, anyone who wants to get me one for Christmas, well, I like the Heart-Ware one the best.
There was a grand prize which was a two-week vacation in Aspen with lift tickets, but I didn't win that either. What I did get was two goody bags, one with a girl bear from the Build-A-Bear Workshop, and the other full of great stuff like Godiva Chocolate, the new book from Ann Patchett which I was already excited to read anyway - in hardcover!, the copy of Portfolio Magazine with the YouPorn article I learned about after hearing author Claire Hoffman on NPR, some expensive Christian Dior anti-aging beauty products that don't interest me but will certainly be passed on to some willing friend, and a really cute make-your-own bracelet kit by Alex Toys that will be a hit the next time one of the neighbors' girls comes over.
Hurrah for really good gifts! And while I'm on the fluff topics, I want to provide the fashion commentary for the evening, because there were some successful, sophisticated, realistic-looking, beautiful women there. Susan Bird was beautiful and birdlike in a gray pleated silk wrap which picked up the gray highlights in her hair, a feminine skirt and high heels peppered with dozens of tiny grommets. Catherine Kinney, President and COO of NYSE - Euronext, looked attractive and professional in a cream-colored wool jacket with a tumble of seed pearls at her throat.
OK, on to more clever topics -- see my next post.
There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors.
Posted by: Jim Morrison | February 08, 2009 at 12:28 PM